Schools Out!

With less than 30 days before state schools finish their 2015/16 academic year, in this post you will find an assembly resource to download and adopt for your school and student assemblies. In the resource I pose two key questions:

How will you use your time?

What memories will you gain from the summer of 2016?

Summer Holidays:

Before Michael Gove’s demise, he banded about in his policies that he wished to reduce the traditional 6-week holiday down to 3 or 4 weeks. I do know of some schools who currently work within this model, re-shaping their academic calendar to enable two-weeks break at every half-term, every 5 or 6 weeks.

Former Education Secretary, announced plans to allow schools to fix their own term dates from September 2015 in a move which could signal the end of the six-week break. He is anxious to combat any loss of learning during the holiday and believes the change could raise standards in schools. But the survey by MathsFactor – a tutoring company created by Carol Voderman (perhaps a pitch for business?) – found that one in three parents (35%) said they were unaware their children’s learning could be jeopardised by the holiday. (The Independent)

Historically, the long summer break was designed in the Victorian era, a model we still use today: “… when formal schooling was first established, the school calendar fit the needs of a particular community. When families became more mobile, the school calendar was standardised. The current 9-month calendar that most schools operate on was established when 85% of students were involved in industrial labour, and when climate control did not exist in school buildings.”

In England and Wales, summer holidays for state schools usually last from the second half of July through to early September which gives a duration of around six or seven weeks. In addition, all schools in England and Wales have three one-week-long half-term breaks for each of the three terms including one in the autumn term at the end of October, one in the spring term in mid February and one in the summer term in late May or early June. Holiday dates for schools in the independent sector usually differ. In Northern Ireland, most schools’ summer vacation starts in early July and runs through to the end of August. In Scotland, school summer holidays start in late June and last for about six or seven weeks, with most schools returning around August 20.

There is a detailed breakdown of summer vacations, country by country here.

Summer Schools:

The recent drive to re-establish Summer Schools for disadvantaged students (January 2015) was high on the agenda to improve standards of literacy and numeracy across England. I wonder how much of the initiative was a by-product of the summer riots of 2011? Was there any coincidence that it gained impetuous after such a period of chaos; to keep children off the streets and engage further with their communities in learning activities? Or was this just a manifesto to get a coalition government through to win an election?

Using Time Better:

In my assembly, I discuss what time students have left in their educational journey. I also share what opportunities they could adopt with the 40+ days given to them throughout the summer. In the resource, I share one-off lifetime events that shape who we are; events that are defined in history and amazing stories of individuals who have used their time to shape the rest of the world.

What could you do with your time?

What memory could you create?

Download:

You can download the presentation below; but first, please click this to say thank you.

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In 2010, Ross Morrison McGill founded @TeacherToolkit from a simple Twitter account in which he rapidly became the 'most followed teacher on social media in the UK'. In 2015, he was nominated for '500 Most Influential People in Britain' in The Sunday Times as one of the most influential in the field of education - he remains the only classroom teacher to feature to this day ... Sharing online as @TeacherToolkit, he rebuilt this website (c2008) into what you are now reading, as one of the 'most influential blogs on education in the UK', winning the number one spot at the UK Blog Awards (2018). Today, he is currently a PGCE tutor and is researching 'social media and its influence on education policy' for his EdD at Cambridge University. In 1993, he started teaching and is an experienced school leader working in some of the toughest schools in London. He is also a former Teaching Awards winner for 'Teacher of the Year in a Secondary School, London' (2004) and has written several books on teaching (2013-2018). Read more...

4 thoughts on “Memories and Time”

Well, I am off to excavate Ness of Brodgar on Orkney and I have an invitation to the Maritime Antiquities Scheme launch at the British Museum before I go. I told all my Year 11 students summers are supposed to be epic. I am off to have adventures and so should they. Using gain time now to sort new SOWs for next year so I can have the summer off without guilt.

That sounds fantastic Katy. Do share photos! Easily turned into an assembly and classroom resource. We roll up the timetable now, so don’t have much gain time sadly to plan for next year. I do miss that period as a middle leader and I know our own staff do. As an SLT, there’s no such thing as gain time. Always pushed for time to get things done.

There is a blog It is an expensive journey so I have gained sponsorship from a local company to go. When it is up and running and respectable will come back and place a link so all can see photos. A lot of my students wanted to be able to see what I was doing and that seemed the best way to do it within safe guidelines. I think it is important to balance time all year (not just summer). I passed my PhD upgrade in May and I know a lot of people don’t make it through PhD when working. Last year it got a bit like that. This year I am tough about my time and school time – and that is despite numerous revision classes in school and a trip aboard with students in February half term. However, I don’t have a family and respect that other people can’t do everything and be a good partner or parent. It is not a choice I would like to make. So I guess I wish everyone the best possible summer wherever they are. I like forward planning in school time as I like to cross plan the rough framework with my staff there – but that of course is off topic. ATB